MLS Preseason Predictions
Recently the owner of One Match Ban emailed and asked a few quick questions about what I’d predict for the upcoming MLS season. I decided to write them down and make a post of it right here.
1. Tip for the MLS Cup?
Los Angeles Galaxy. The best team through the regular season last year has added Juan Pablo Angel and Frankie Hejduk. At 35 and 36 years old they aren’t building a team for the future, they want something right now. There were good to start with and now they’ve got a lot of experience and one of the best goal scorers the league has seen in a long time.
2. Eastern Conference Winners?
Sporting KC (formerly Kansas City Wizards). The Wizards Sporting KC will start the season with a new name, eventually they will open a new stadium called Sporting Park, and they’ve got some new blood on the team that has been performing fairly well so far this pre-season. According to their website, Sporting Park will be the first MLS stadium to be fully lighted for HDTV. How can they not win the Eastern Conference?
3. Western Conference Winners?
Los Angeles Galaxy have been a very good team the past couple of years and been close to the MLS Cup, but this is the year they finally get it again.
4. Player to watch?
Charlie Davies is on loan with DC United. After missing the World Cup due to a terrible auto accident he is back. It was uncertain if he’d ever play again but here he is with DC United. Hopefully Davies can get back to the level he was at before his accident.
5. Rookie to watch?
The first pick in the draft was US U-20 national team member Omar Salgado. He has been getting playing time and scoring goals for the Vancouver Whitecaps. He could be an important player in Vancouver.
6. Match to watch?
Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers. Nothing beats a good rivalry and these guys will have it. I wish I was able to get to one of these games.
7. Top Scorer?
Juan Pablo Angel in his new home at the Galaxy.
So what do you think? Where have I gone horribly wrong and where have I come close to making some reasonable sense of anything?
